In the News: Winchester House (Geroux Hotel)

THE PRIDE OF OLD PEMBINA. 

The Most Elegant Hostelry in Dakota, North of the Columbia at Fargo.
Special to the Globe. 

PEMBINA, N. D., April 21. – One of the most superb and popular hotels in North Dakota is the Winchester House, of Pembina. It is prominently located in the heart of the city, at the corner of Cavalier and Roulette streets, and has a frontage of fifty feet on Cavalier street and sixty feet on Roulette street. It is built with white Crookston brick, and is three stories high. It is at present one of the most elegant and substantial hotel structures north of Fargo, North Dakota. Supplied and equipped with all the modern hotel improvements of metropolitan cities, it is highly prized by all our citizens and the traveling public. Built in the year 1882, at a cost of about twenty thousand dollars, it is a most fortunate investment for its present owner and proprietor. 

J. W. Winchester, after whom the house is named, is the owner and present proprietor of this most popular public resort. The management of this hotel has been given the personal care and attention of J. W. Winchester and his bright and popular wife. Mrs. Winchester has ever been distinguished as one of the most popular and entertaining of hotel matrons, and her popular parlor entertainments have always been most highly appreciated by all the patrons of this hotel and many invited friends, and to her own careful labor in the culinary department in preparation of meals this hotel owes much for its well-earned popularity for its table luxuries. So acceptable are the meals served in this house that the southbound Northern Pacific vestibule train often stops at Pembina sufficiently long enough to enable passengers to obtain their meals here in preference to those furnished by the dining car attached to these trains. This whole structure is occupied as a hotel, and the house can, with adjoining hotel accommodations, accommodate several hundred guests at a time in a most comfortable and acceptable manner.  

This hotel has been for years the “head center” of the political, social and festive activity of the northeast corner of Dakota. In and about this charming resort are clustered some of the most interesting memories of the past political history of this section. Here it was, in this hotel, that the late Jerry Tuohy, one of the most gifted Democratic leaders of his party, planned some of his most successful political conquests in this district, and here it is where, today, the present Republican leader, Jud LaMoure, sways his numerous political cohorts, and plans his most important political battles. Here, too, Jud often “flushes” with great success and raises the “downs” with less than a pair of “breakers.” This hotel is patronized by the very best class of boarders and travelers and for neatness and comfort this house enjoys a most envious reputation. Many of the county officers are remembered among its guests, and as a hotel bonanza for its owner is the Merchants’ hotel of Pembina and this entire section of the Red River Valley. 

Source:
The Saint Paul Daily Globe
Monday Morning, April 22, 1889
Volume XI, Number 112, Page 6

 __________________

From: Pembina and Turtle Mountain Ojibway (Chippewa) history: from the personal collections and writings of Charlie White Weasel

So as you can see, Charlie White Weasel's testimony concerning who built the Winchester House (originally the Geroux Hotel) and first ran it, confirms what Chuck Walker wrote in SHERIFF CHARLEY BROWN.

Also from the same source:

Lucien Geroux ... was then keeping a hotel in South Pembina, the same building, (improved) now being the one in which the county poor are being boarded and cared for, usually called our poor house. 

The large, 2-storey building just east of the Pembina Bridge, sitting in the area where the future Selkirk Park will be, is what I think is the building mentioned above (i.e., Lucien Geroux's first hotel, later repurposed and used as the Pembina Poor House...)

Headlines: New Year 1908, Bullet Dance, & Ferry Franchise

Pioneer Express
January 3, 1908

The New Year was ushered in by the bells of the city echoing with those of St. Vincent and Emerson, assisted by about a half dozen locomotive whistles, at the roundhouses, proclaiming twelve o’clock. There are not many places on the American continent where two states can join hands with Great Britain and celebrate the dawn of a New Year.

* * * *

Pioneer Express
January 31, 1908

A One-Armed Joker

There was a grim, capital joker at Noyes, Minn., last Thursday night and the details of the affair were kept somewhat quiet by the victims, but at last have mostly leaked out. It seems that a one-armed man, who had lost his limb in the Boer War, was on the train coming south and not being provided with proper credentials, the U.S. immigration inspector had him put off the train at Emerson. The man then walked to Noyes, just across the line, and armed with a revolver and bowie knife held up the employees there about a half dozen in number. He amused himself by shooting out window glass and at other prominent targets. Mr. MacKay, the agent, slipped out and went to his residence and got a shotgun, but the man was onto his game and waylaid him as he came back and took the gun away. There are various stories of how he lined up the employees and made them practice military steps and formation, showing them how to step with pistol shots fired in the direction of their feet. He locked Mr. MacKay up in the private office. He also opened the money drawer in the safe and, observing the small amount there, said he did not need that as he had much more already and showed a couple of big rolls as proof. After keeping guard over the unfortunate crowd for about four hours, but taking nothing from them, he left, went back to Emerson, slept in a barn all night; next day he walked to Ridgeville and took the train from there for the east.

* * * * *

Pioneer Express
February 7, 1902

Meeting notes of the Pembina city council

W. G. Deacon, village recorder of St. Vincent and lessee of the Minnesota site of the ferry, was present and addressed the council on the subject of building a new ferry boat. The council spent considerable time in discussing the matter, and on motion of Alderman Miller, Messrs. Short, LaMoure and Price were appointed a committee to investigate the condition of the old boat and to find the approximate cost of a new boat and to look up any other matters in this connection and to report the same at a meeting of the council to be held on Monday, February 10th, next. F. A. Wardwell, Auditor

Same issue -

The City council are wrestling with the ferry problem. A new boat, has to be built which will cost anywhere from $350 to $600 according to plan. St. Vincent wanted this city to build half the boat, or if they build a boat for us to pay $100 a year rental. It would be preferable for the city not to have anything to do with the boat at all, but let the ferryman furnish his own boat. But nobody would build a boat on a one year franchise and there are many objections to letting it for five years, which would be the least term that anyone would take and build a boat. The fact that there are two ends to the ferry, one owned by St. Vincent and the other by Pembina, makes complications which must be provided for or make trouble. The St. Vincent people seem to be willing to act fairly, and it is probably the matter will be settled all right finally.

* * * * *

Pioneer Express
February 21, 1902

Bids For Ferry Franchise

Bids will be received by the City of Pembina for the running of a Ferry across the Red River, landing within the corporate limits of said city, as follows -

First-Bidders shall state the highest amount they will pay the city for the ferry franchise for the season of 1902, the city to furnish boats ad other necessary apparatus.

Or, Second – Bidders shall state the highest amount they will pay this City for the Ferry Franchise for a term of five years; such bidders also agreeing to furnish good and suitable boats and apparatus for that time at their own cost and expense.

Bids for the one year franchise and for the five year franchise to be in separate envelopes.

Bids for the one year franchise shall be for cash in advance on acceptance of bid by the city.

Bids for the five year franchise shall provide for two equal, annual payments each year, the first payment to be cash on acceptance of bid by the City Council and each other payment to be cash in advance, July 15th, and April 15th, respectively each year.

Each bid must be accompanied by a certified check payable to J. M. Chisholm, Mayor, or by cash, to the amount of twenty-five dollars, to be forfeited to the City of Pembina if the bidder refuses or neglects to give suitable bond for the carrying out of the contract and franchise, if his bid be accepted – otherwise said moneys to be returned to bidders.

Bids should be sealed and endorses “Bids for Ferry Franchise” addressed to the undersigned and delivered to him, or placed in the post office at Pembina on or before 6 o’clock p.m., Feby.24th, 1902

The City Council reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

By order of City Council
F. A. Wardwell, Auditor

The St. Vincent Depot Interviews

Photograph of St. Vincent depot, as described in the article below...

One of the great things about our readers is how they participate in discovering and sharing our local history.  

I was recently contacted by such a reader, who found an article written by Maribel Berg for the Scribe Tribe, published by the Kittson County Enterprise in 1976...

News from the Past VI

First & Last Chance Saloon

More News from the Past...

George Bates Murdered While Intoxicated, at St. Vincent

Wednesday morning the news went mouth to mouth that George Bates had been found dead in his house. The details as they began to develop were highly sensational. Mr. Bates was addicted to excessive drinking. When under the influence of liquor he was apt to quarrel with his family. On Wednesday afternoon he had trouble of this kind. Later, he went to St. Vincent. What happened there is still somewhat contradictory at this writing. 

Wednesday morning Mrs. George Bates came down stairs and found her husband lying on the floor with every evidence of having been severely pounded. She hastily summoned Register of Deeds Chisholm from the office nearby and upon examination it was found that Bates was dead. He had a hole in his skull near the right temple from the effects of a blow of some kind and his face was badly bruised and had been bleeding profusely. As nearly as the facts can be gotten at they are as follows: Last night at 11:30 two young men from St. Vincent, Minn., just across the river brought Bates home and deposited him on the floor. They then notified Marshal Moorhead, who went up to see Bates. He found him apparently sleeping off the effects of a boozer and did not arouse the family. This morning as above stated he was found dead.

Hill Farms

Co-Workers of my Grandpa Fitzpatrick at
Humboldt Hill Farm:  'Illegal' Canadians?

We often hear about illegal aliens working in America nowadays.  We normally think of them as coming from Mexico, South America, or even refugees that have entered the country illegally.

This problem is nothing new.  About a century ago, Kittson County Sheriffs faced the same problem, except the illegal aliens were coming from the north - Canada.  The irony of it is, manpower was in short supply in the local area, and these Canadian men were more than willing to work, yet the law sought to kick them out back to Canada.

In two cases involving Canadian employees on the Red River Valley estates, Hill tried and failed to leverage support from Minnesota's former governor, Senator Knut Nelson. The first problem began in 1913 when Walter Hill, at his father's insistence, hired a Canadian veterinarian recommended by Thomas Shaw and ran into problems with the Immigration Bureau.  In March 1914 James Hill wrote to Nelson, asking him to intervene, but with no success.  A similar conflict arose in 1915 on Hill's bonanza estate at Humboldt, which had remained primarily a productive wheat farm, raising extensive crops under hired management.  In 1915 problems emerged with the farm's traditional Canadian labor force when the sheriff arrived in the middle of harvest and "took away four...shockers."  They were charged as illegal aliens, but Hill's manager asserted that the men had been working on the farm without trouble for fifteen years. Hill again turned to Senator Nelson for help, but despite his protestations, the men were deported back to Canada.  Hill did not let the matter rest.  He asserted that immigration officials aimed to "make fees" by bothering "a number of poor men who...are trying to earn a living." The acting secretary of labor,  J.B. Densmore, corrected Hill, pointing out that the agents did not profit from arrests; he then closed the case and refused to make further inquiries.  Thus, by 1915 Hill's political influence had virtually vanished. Without the muscle of the railroad and with few federal connections, Hill found himself in the uncomfortable role of a private citizen...

From Profiting from the Plains: The Great Northern Railway By Claire Strom

"A Stark Contrast"

Farmers in our area have had to, down through the years, wage battles on many fronts - weather, disease...and markets.

We are inclined to think that by this time the Canadians who, under the influence of the teachings of the liberal press, preferred to emigrate to Minnesota and Dakota rather than to Manitoba and the Canadian Northwest, will have had reson to curse alike their own fate, and the false teachers that led them to it.  The absurd stories about monopoly, about land laws, about high taxation, which served the purpose of the opposition, are certainly no panning out in the experience of the settlers.  Minnesota and Dakota farmers, teaming their wheat across the border, paying the Canadian duty of fifteen cents a bushell, and still making a profit of about four cents a bushell over what they could get on their own side of the line, is rather a startling condition of things.  We copied the other day from the St. Vincent Minnesota, New Era a paragraph describing the condition of things to be seen there daily of farmers, dsiguested with the local price of from twenty-seven to thirty-six cents a bushel, less, when the cost of threshing and twine is deducted, than the price of carrying it to market, teaming it across the border in order to get the profit, over and above the duty, which the Canadian price would give them.  We do not wonder that, as the New Era says, "all felt like cursing the county and getting out of it."¹

By a letter received here last week, it appears that up to the 28th November no less than eight hundred and sixty-one bushels of wheat were imported at Emerson from across the border.  On that day No. 1 wheat was selling at St. Vincent at 37 cents a bushel, and at Emerson, just across the border on the Canadian side, at 56 cents; so that after paying the duty, the Minnesota farmer got four cents a bushel more for his wheat in Manitoba than he could get in his own state.  But the most gratifying feature is that this enormous adventage obtains not only on the immediate border but all along the line of the Canadian Pacific railway.  The price last week at Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie was sixty-one cents a bushel; on the Burnside and Brandon section it was fifty-nine cents.  From that point on to Fleming, it was fifty-seven cents, and from Fleming westward it was fifty-five cents.  So that even on the western section of the Canadian Pacific railway the Northwest farmers were receiving  eighteen cents a bushel more for their wheat than the Minnesota farmer was getting at St. Vincent.  These facts are the best answers to the "monopoly" cry which a year or two ago was sufficiently influential to drive many Canadians into Minnesota and Dakota, and we will be greatly surprised if they do not induce a large number of Canadians, now on the Americna side of the line, to transfer themselves to Manitoba and the Canadian Northwest, where, as we doubt not, they now heartily wish that they had gone in the first instance.

From: The Montreal Gazette, Monday, December 8, 1884

I found out there was a bit more going on than at first glance...

Manitoba was the centre of growth, and of growing grain production, in the West (of Canada) to the late 1890s.  But it was not until 1883 that Manitoba had a rail link to the East.  Up to that time, grain was shipped through St. Vincent, Minnesota, to the Great Lakes.  This indirect shipping was costly.  That year, the CPR completed its line to Thunder Bay (then Fort William/Port Arthur) Since the railway had the only direct access to the Great Lakes, "it was able to exercise a great deal of monopoly power and adopt a value-of-service pricing policy."  It set its grain rates at just below those through St. Vincent - Rates were higher than the actual costs justified.

From: Regina Leader-Post, January 22, 1982

That is what the "monopoly" reference mentioned earlier was referring to, and with some just reasoning in my opinion...
____________

¹ - The full editorial was: "On Tuesday last we saw a sight upon our streets that with little variation may be witnessed here any day. A number of our best farmers were in town, men we have known since they settled here, and known them to be sober, hard-working, intelligent, honest men. They had their waggons loaded with wheat, and the prices they were offered ranged between 27 and 37 cents per bushel, mostly 27 cents. After taking out the cost of threshing and twine, they were paid less for their wheat than the railway charges are for drawing it to market. Some took their wheat to Traill's mill, and traded it off for flour. Some took it to Emerson, Manitoba, and paid the duty and sold it there, others took it home again, and a few, disheartened, sold their loads for what they could get, not what it was worth, and all felt like cursing the country and getting out of it." So much for Minnesota...


From: The North-West Agitation, The Toronto Mail (December 1884)

News from the Past: Schoolhouse Takeover

St. Vincent School in its early days...

A lot of tramps took possession of the school house at St. Vincent, Minnesota, and after getting drunk used the school records for making a fire. It took all the town police officials and a number of citizens to lodge them in jail.

From: Manitoba Daily Free Press (Wednesday, 19 February 1890)

Pembina: Unique

Masthead - The paper was started by Horace Greeley

The article below - part of a series on new states in the Union - was written by an east coast newspaper  journalist sent to report onsite.  It offers an interesting 'snapshot' view of one year in the life of the Pembina/St. Vincent area, in 1889.

At that time, it was a few years into the intense settlement period. The area had been opened up; gone were the old fur trading, mission, and exploration days. It was a time of rapid growth and change. Read about how it looked to an outsider...

Shot in a Bagnio

 A typical brothel 'menu' around the turn of the century
- Click to see clear copy -
[Warning:  Graphic Language]

HEADLINE:  The Fate of a Hotel Proprietor at Emerson

Winnipeg, Man., Oct. 19, 1892 - John Wagner, proprietor of the Carney house¹, Emerson, Man., was shot in a bagnio a mile (south)west of the town last night. His body was taken to Pembina, where an inquest will be held tomorrow. The inmates of the house are under arrest in the Pembina jail. The murderess was Nellie Dunn, keeper of the house. She originally resided in Winnipeg. Wagner and others were in the act of battering down the door, when five shots were fired, one taking effect in the breast, from which he died in ten minutes. He leaves a wife and two children. The murderess is one of those under arrest at Pembina. Drink was the cause of the whole affair.

From the St. Paul Daily Globe October 20, 1892

For a more detailed description of Nellie and the event above, read the following recollection by an eye witness (courtesy J. Rempel of Halbstadt, Manitoba...)

March 1941 Blizzard Revisited

Coverage of 1941 Blizzard in Minnesota & North Dakota
[WILMINGTON MORNING STAR, North Carolina, March 17, 1941]

Last year I wrote about the 'Ides of March' blizzard of 1941, sharing a story that a reader of this blog sent me of his memories of that event.

Now, in the course of my new job, a patron shared with me that a book had been written about the blizzard.  In the book, there are several references to local/regional stories of people touched by that storm, including the following two stories...

Mercy Wheat Campaign

I don't know details on how farmers around my hometown area (Kittson County and Pembina County) contributed to the efforts described as the Mercy Wheat Campaign, but it's likely they did. It was  characterized as involving the entire region known as the Red River Valley of the North, the farmers in it called to supply the over 155,000,000 bushels¹ of wheat to war-torn Europe and Asia after WWII.

Mercy Wheat wasn't as secret as Ferry Command at the time, but in collective memory, it's almost as elusive.  And what is so impressive about this effort was, it was citizen-driven, not government-sponsored, implemented before the Marshall Plan...

In April 1946, Arnold Amundson of Climax, Minn., led a procession of 140 farmers to the local elevator as a national kickoff for Mercy Wheat, a program by the United Nations to deliver grain to war-starved Poland. Farmers were hanging onto on to their grain, so the government offered them a 30-cent-per-bushel bonus to deliver it. NYC Mayor and UNRRA Director Fiorello La Guardia encouraged farmers to grow even more wheat to feed the countries ravaged by the war.
- From Twentieth Century in Review, Fargo Forum
_______________________

¹ - Trivia:  The Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (GTA or FUGTA), a cooperative grain marketing organization of Midwestern farmers, began operations on June 1, 1938. Its origins, however, go back much farther into the nineteenth century with farmers' rebellions against low prices, mis-grading of grain, false weights, buyer collaboration, and excessive dockage and transportation costs, which resulted in their first attempts at cooperative action...The post-World War II era saw GTA make international news through its contribution of 16 million of the (ultimately) over 80 million bushels provided by the United States in the Mercy Wheat Campaign for war-ravaged Europe.

- From Minnesota Historical Society's GTA Corporation Records Collection

July 4th Parade

July 4, 1890 Parade down main street in Pembina, ND (courtesy of State Archives of North Dakota collection)

I have written about the Pembina July 4th celebrations of old here before. But I never knew St. Vincent also at one time had its own Independence Day festivities.¹

Below is a recounting of the 4th of July celebrations in St. Vincent in 1909, as recounted by one J. A. Noyes², Deputy Collector of Customs, for the St. Vincent New Era...

Where the parade began...

The Parade
(Kindly reported by Deputy Collector Noyes)

The Fourth of July parade as a part of St. Vincent's big celebration was a pronounced success. It was composed of various beautiful floats, several bands of calithumpians³, a number of beautifully decorated carriages and exhibits of farm machinery.

The procession formed at the school house and was led by Mr. President of the day W.J. Mason accompanied by Hon. Mr. Blethen, the Orator. These were followed by the Pembina band which dispensed patriotic music during the entire parade.

The Goddess of Liberty appeared next in the person of Miss Laura Billes being drawn by her Shetland pony hitched to the pony trap. This feature deserves special notice, as the pony harness, trap and the Goddess were all draped in white, the emblem of purity and presented a beautiful appearance.

The Columbia float came next. This contained Columbia, represented by Miss Margurette Cowan, who was surrounded by forty-nine young ladies and girls, dressed in white, each carrying a flag representing the states and territories. The flat was draped in white and drawn by four white horses, driven by Mr. A. Darrach.

Yes, this is a photo of the actual St. Vincent

Bank; written on the windows are the words,

"Farm Loans, Insurance, Real Estate..."

- Photo courtesy of the Gamble Family

Immediately following this came the float of the St. Vincent Bank, this consisted of a raised platform on a wagon beautifully draped with the colors of the day, carrying fifteen little girls dressed in white and laden with wreaths of wild roses; this was one of the beauty spots of the parade.

One feature of the calithumpians that attracted a great deal of attention was a dark complexioned couple, Frankie Buekly and Irvine Hanson, being drawn by a pony hitched to an outlandish low wheeled cart elaborately draped with wisps of hay and appropriate material. Frankie is deserving of much credit as we are informed the idea was his as well as the work of building and decorating the cart.

Mr.  was represented by Charles Kimberly, appearing in clown's costume, pushing a cart appropriately trimmed in green, and containing his little brother suitably dressed for the occasion.

Another pretty feature was six little boys, Harold Taylor, Jay Benuett, Sammy Lapp, Allen Gamble, Harvey Hanson, and Omen Dean, hitched to a finely decorated cart and driven by little Innis Taylor, followed by George Gillespie, Leo and Elmer Arnes, and Dicky Lapp as a body guard.

The colored band⁴ was another very laughable feature. This band consisting of Gordie Edkins, Dan and George Gooselaw and Roy Russell, under the able leadership of Percy Edkins will no doubt be heard from again.

Other featured of the celebration will be given next week.

Alas, I do not have access to the rest of the story; to my knowledge editions of the St. Vincent New Era for 1909 are not available, even on microfilm. But I'm thankful we could at least hear about this much; it opens a window into another time, a different way of life, and even some different ways of thinking (not all of them positive...) Thank you, Maggie!
___________________

¹ - Recently, I attended the Gamble Family Reunion, where one of the family gave me a copy of the "Maggie Book". I had seen it once before a couple of years ago when I met this Gamble descendant, Alice Jablonski; Alice had the book with her and let me take a quick peek. I could tell even from a glance that it was a treasure trove of information, consisting of clippings, mainly newspapers such as early St. Vincent New Era articles, concerning stories about family members but also area events. During the reunion Alice handed me a manila envelope of various items she wanted me to have, including a high-quality photocopy (many pages in color) of the Maggie Book. I was thrilled! This post came as a result of one of those newsclippings.

² - J. A. Noyes, the first Deputy Collector of Customs at the U. S./Canadian port of entry at Noyes, MN (named for him)

NOTE: The officers of the Custom House worked for the Collector of Customs. The Collector was assisted by the Deputy Collector, who was mainly responsible for the record keeping in the port.

³ - Calathumpian: Huge, spectacular event or performance. (Canadian archaic) Example: That was one calathumpian parade!

⁴ - "Colored Band", aka a marching band (often in black-face) performing minstrel type songs, now a relic of a time when racial stereotyping was acceptable entertainment.

News from the Past: Local News/National Papers

"As Seen in the New Era!"

News from the Past: 1852 Pembina

News from the Past: Land Rights

Oh, dear - I wonder if anyone lost their land in the end result?

Travel Writers of our Past

The train from Red River had just brought news of the murder of a young teacher sent last year from St. Paul to the Selkirk settlement, by a party of Yankton Sioux, who are hostile to the inhabitants of Pembina, it is supposed on account of their relations to the Chippewas. It is well known that there has been a feud from time immemorial between the Sioux and Chippewas, two of the most powerful Indian nations in the territories of the United States.

From Summer Rambles in the West by E.F. Ellet (1853)

News from the Past: Robbers

An air of "wild and wooly west" was seen as the train passed through last Friday evening. Inside were a gang of four supposed to have been connected with the bank robbery at Stephen last week. They were linked together with handcuffs and shackles and were closely guarded over by a posse of sheriffs with Winchesters in hand. They had been arrested in the vicinity of St. Vincent and Emerson and were being brought back to Stephen for examination.

From Kittson County Enterprise (May 1908)

News from the Past: Chickens Gone Wild

From the May 23, 1890 issue of the St. Vincent New Era:

Dr. Campbell has a heavy acount to answer for, and the husbands in St. Vincent has it in for him.

Two years ago, with his characteristic breezy enthusiasm, the Dr. started a poultry boom in this vicinity, and took a lot of prizes at the Fall show. Last year the fad travelled from Scotston farm to the east side of St. Vincent, Mrs. H.W. Grasse becoming a victim, raised several hundred chickens and took a lot of prizes.

This spring, the epidemic is raging in uncontrollable fury at the West end, and a citizen only need to look up to see a lady in one direction or another persuading, with a broom, some reluctant hen to take her nest, whilst the falsehoods their husbands are expected to disseminate would stagger a hardened horse trader. Mrs. Jensen this date is a little ahead on the chicken count with a record in the neighborhood of 70, so Mr. Jensen says.

News from the Past: Alexander Louden

In 1934, my grandfather, Alexander Louden, was interviewed by a writer from the Cavalier Chronicle newspaper. Cavalier is the County Seat of Pembina County, North Dakota and is bout 5 miles or so from Bathgate where he lived. The following article was published Friday, November 30, 1934...

An unknown descendent of Alexander Louden, a former early resident of our area, submitted an old newspaper article about their ancestor a couple of years ago online...

Pembina Pioneers: Tales of Times Now Long Passed as Lived by Early Settlers in This Territory and Who Now Reside Here Or Who Have Recently Moved Away
by Robert Thacker

In the late summer of 1879 an 11 year old boy had the thrilling experience of leaving his old home in Pittson, counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, and traveling westward to the new land of promise just opening to settlement. From that time until recently his life has been full of interesting experiences and adventures. Although past the meridian of life, Alexander H. Louden of Bathgate still is intensely concerned with the trend of human events.

Mr. Louden is the oldest of a family of 13 children, 11 of whom still survive. This family, like many others of those pioneer days, went through many hardships of dauntless courage and zeal that has carved this splendid commonwealth out of a virgin land.

Very shortly after leaving the old Canadian home these difficulties began to develop. Upon the arrival of Mrs. Louden and the children at St. Vincent, Minn., they had to stay at the railroad station for two days before getting out to the home of James Quinnell, six miles northeast of Bathgate. A log shanty thatched with hay and mud was rented from Paul Norman on the Pembina river 12 miles west of Pembina.

Young Louden saw many Red River carts go by his father's house loaded with furs en route to the trading posts. He has seen as many as 100 at a time go by. Mr. Louden Sr., filed on land three miles northwest of Bathgate, which he owned until his death. Howard Vaughn was in charge of the U.S. Land office at that time and the log house that had been purchased "previously" was moved down onto this land.

JUD LAMOURE HELPS

After the first big spring thaw, the weather turned quite cold so that a very heavy crust was formed on the snow. Mr. Louden Sr. started for Pembina. He met a team of Indian ponies coming over the crust; they stopped when his father met them. The driver asked him if he was cold and would have drink. Louden took a drink with them. One of the men asked Louden where he was going. He said he was going to Pembina to see Jud LaMoure. LaMoure and Goodfellow ran a store at that time. He asked what he wanted to see LaMoure for. Louden said that he had been told that he might get some groceries from Jud LaMoure. The speaker said that Jud was not at home, and he put his hand in his pocket and gave Louden a twenty-dollar gold piece. He said, "That will get you some groceries." Louden did not want to take it. He asked the donor's name, and he said, "I am Jud LaMoure." From that day on, the Louden family never went hungry. At that particular time Jud LaMoure was on his way to St. Joe in company with a priest.

As settlers grew in numbers they deemed it necessary to get some civil organizations. Under the leadership of Con Slagerman, George Roadhouse and Louden, Sr; donated an acre of land, hauled the lumber, and erected the building, gratis, known as the Louden schoolhouse. Miss Viola Yoemans of Joliette was the first teacher. She received $35 a month. This building was used as a community center. Here Protestants and Catholics alike held their religious services, and Sunday schools. Even a night school was established for the boys who had to work during the day. Louden, Sr., and Con Slagerman were the teachers.

CLOTHES CHEAP

As time went on, the conditions of all the settlers became improved. With the exception of frosted wheat, everybody seemed to be getting along well. There were no great hardships or anyone going hungry after 1881. Buffalo coats could be bought for $9 each and robes for $3. These robes were used in homes as bed coverings, and many used them for horse blankets. One Roy Kraft had the first threshing machine in that neighborhood. He did that work from Pembina to Walhalla. Let us now turn to the personal experience and adventures of Alexander H. Louden when he became of age.

After he was 21, he began his formal schooling. He entered the fifth grade of the Bathgate School and went through the eighth grade in one winter. He sawed wood for his room and board after school hours and when he was twenty-four, he decided to go west to the Pacific coast.

He arrived in Seattle shortly after the big fire. There was no work to be secured because of the rush of people out there at that time. W.P. Watson, a civil engineer for the Great Northern, had established his first engineering office. Louden got a job, and was sent to Ballard, Washington to Mr. Stixrud, who had a surveying party there. He finally became topographer for a survey party, which position he filled for some six years. With the completion of the project he returned to Bathgate.

Upon his return he found that there was an election on. Jud LaMoure was seeking election as State Senator from this first district. Louden, remembering the gift of the $20 gold piece and the other good turns Jud had rendered to his father, decided to try and repay him slightly by working for his election. Jud was elected and the Senator further rewarded Louden with an appointment as officer in the State penitentiary. A little later he was appointed bill clerk in the senate. Shortly after this he became a soldier.

GOES TO WAR

In April, 1898, when war was declared against Spain he was a member of the Governor's Guards, Co. A., Bismarck. He resigned his office at the prison and enlisted in the volunteers for two years or for the duration of the war. North Dakota's quota was two battalions of 670 men. They were moved westward to the Pacific coast where they embarked for the Philippine Islands. The outfit landed in Manila August 7th, after a 37 day voyage across the Pacific. They were taken as near the shore as possible in small boats on account of the shallow bay, and then waded ashore, and camped in a peanut patch six miles from Manila Aug. 11. On Aug. 13, they went into battle against the Spanish. "At two o'clock the same afternoon the Spanish flag was pulled down and the Stars and Stripes put up where it has remained until this day," says Mr. Louden.

He further says, "We surrounded the walled city on the night of August 13 to keep Aguinaldo and his insurgent army out so they would not kill foreigners and the Spanish remaining there. From then until February 4, we did outpost duty. On February 4, the insurgent army attacked us. From that time until next August we campaigned in nine different provinces after the insurgent army. About half of us had intermittent malaria, dysentery, dolor itch, (a disease of the skin contracted from wading in the tropical jungles). The regiment was in 36 engagements; of this number I was in 23. We had no right to stay for the insurrection, but we volunteered to stay until President McKinley could organize an army to take our place.

"During our campaign in the Philippines we never dug in. I was color sergeant, and I will swear that we never retreated one foot in all the battles. There was no rear to go to. We were front, rear, and everything else. In the Province of Moron was the only American town known in the Islands. We took it and never let a Philippino reenter. There was small pox and black plague, (bubonic plague). When the natives died we burned their houses and bodies. No American had bubonic plague, but some Chinamen that we had allowed in the commissary department died from the disease. We burnt their bodies and houses.

FOOD IS POOR

"When we were relieved at Moron there were 27 out of 84 men that did not answer sick call; a good many should have done so, but did not want to take quinine. The doctors finally lined the men up in the company formation, and gave each man his dose off a spoon seeing that each man swallowed it. The food, part of the time, was very poor, especially on the trip over. Fresh water was short, due to inefficiency on the part of the government being poorly prepared for war. Stories of the embalmed beef were not too highly exaggerated at the time. During the last part of the insurrection and on the journey home the men received the best of treatment. We returned on the transport Grant and received the best accommodations.

"Upon our arrival at San Francisco we received a welcome a rousing welcome from both the citizens of California and the U.S. Government. We were mustered out; turned in our accoutrements; returned home on money sent to us by the State of North Dakota. Out of the 670 mustered, less than 100 of the old North Dakota regiment returned. We have a reunion on August 13, every year at Spiritwood Lake near Jamestown, ND. We eat, drink and be merry, and tell more lies than I am telling here. The boys are all good Americans, white headed, and a good many went to France as officers, and I believe are ready to go again if the call comes."

Mr. Louden has a numerous collection of Spanish-American, and Philippino war souvenirs and mementos including some of the personal possession of the late William G. Lamb of Hamilton who was Pembina County's one soldier slain in the Philippino Insurrection. A large monument was erected to his memory in the Hamilton cemetery. His body also rests there.

CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL

Among Mr. Louden's special keepsakes are: Spanish American War Medal, Congressional Medal, known as the McKinley Medal, given for Loyalty, Fortitude and Patriotism.

Mr. Louden has a wonderful record as a rifle marksman. In the army rifle matches, he shot down all regiments, regular and volunteer, at the presidio, near San Francisco, Calif. He was requested to join the National Rifle association, which he did and has competed with all teams at the association from Bangor, ME, to Pasadena, Calif. He says, "Our team, known as the Dickinson, N.Dak., took second place. Individually, I was beaten once."

Among other experiences of Mr. Louden were those of visiting the Hawaiian Islands on the voyage to and from the Philippines, where they were royally entertained. He also had the opportunity to visit a number of the leading cities in Japan where his outfit received excellent treatment. During his time in the Philippines he had the pleasure to be in the presence of Admiral George Dewey the hero of Manila bay He also has seen and been near the famous Philippi no leader, Emilio Anginaldo, who immediately following the Spanish-American war led the Philippinos against the American forces in the Islands, only to be finally defeated.

When one hears or reads of the experiences and adventures that some of our fellow citizens have during one short life time we sometimes wonder how they can lead the simple life again and seemingly enjoy it as our old friend Mr. Louden seems to be doing. May the coming years be full of peace and happiness for him and his family.